In the character-driven story (as opposed to plot-driven), the character's wants, needs, and actions drive the plot. The "outside force" has little impact--it's the main character who is plodding along, propelling the story forward (or backward, or whatever direction his actions take him).
The journey of the character-driven story often involves self-discovery, which (ideally) leads to transformation. At the end of the story, the character is not the same person he was in chapter one.
The plot-driven story, of course, benefits from inner conflict and change, but for the character-driven story, this change is what will save the character as he "saves the world." In this way, the inner conflict is just as important as (or more important than) the outer conflict, and the tension surrounding this change is what will compel readers to keep turning pages.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
Monday, August 26, 2019
Monday, August 19, 2019
On Creating Problems
Problems that are easy to solve are also easy to forget.
The problems we present in our stories should grow. They should twist and turn. The layers should run deep--really deep.
Why? The deeper the problem, the more satisfying the ending once the situation is resolved.
And remember: a "problem" that can be cleared up with a single conversation isn't really a problem.
I love a good Hallmark movie more than anyone, but I do get kind of miffed when a love interest sees something he or she misinterprets then just leaves town without having a real conversation with the person they're walking away from. I can forgive them because I know we're working toward a happy ending, but I like my conflicts a bit more complex than that.
Yes, Parker was lying to Jaden in Cross My Heart. Could he have cleared everything up with a single conversation? Sure. But he had a reason to lie that was bigger than anyone expected, and when he and Jaden finally had that conversation, she wasn't easy to forgive him--too much had gone wrong.
There was more than a simple misunderstanding at play, and that's why Cross My Heart is (still) my bestselling book.
The point?
Create big problems for your characters. Make those problems as thorny as you can. Don't be afraid to push the limits.
Figure out the worst thing that could possibly happen, then make it worse.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
The problems we present in our stories should grow. They should twist and turn. The layers should run deep--really deep.
Why? The deeper the problem, the more satisfying the ending once the situation is resolved.
And remember: a "problem" that can be cleared up with a single conversation isn't really a problem.
I love a good Hallmark movie more than anyone, but I do get kind of miffed when a love interest sees something he or she misinterprets then just leaves town without having a real conversation with the person they're walking away from. I can forgive them because I know we're working toward a happy ending, but I like my conflicts a bit more complex than that.
Yes, Parker was lying to Jaden in Cross My Heart. Could he have cleared everything up with a single conversation? Sure. But he had a reason to lie that was bigger than anyone expected, and when he and Jaden finally had that conversation, she wasn't easy to forgive him--too much had gone wrong.
There was more than a simple misunderstanding at play, and that's why Cross My Heart is (still) my bestselling book.
The point?
Create big problems for your characters. Make those problems as thorny as you can. Don't be afraid to push the limits.
Figure out the worst thing that could possibly happen, then make it worse.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
Monday, August 12, 2019
On Tragedy
Sometimes I wrestle with the content of my stories.
There's so much sadness in the world. Why would I want to contribute to this with my own tales of loss and violence and abuse?
There's Genesis, of course, dealing with this otherworldly war that she's been dragged into. Some of her friends return; some don't. Jaden ends up in her own crossfire situation, which forces her to question everything she knows about the guy she loves. Fallon's stepfather is violent and unpredictable. Summer struggles with her memory of a single night that changed her entire life--how can she grieve the loss of her best friend when she doesn't even know what happened to her? And even in my Christmas novella, Olivia's mom is in the middle of a cancer battle. Next Christmas could be very different for all of them.
Meanwhile, the guys (men, really, because most of my love interests edge toward the 18+ side) who love them or are learning to love them stand by--sometimes helpless, sometimes not. . . .
The fact is: there's at least one part in each of my stories where everything reaches peak point of heartbreak (sometimes after a series of heartbreaks).
And sure, maybe I should be writing happier stories (escapism, anyone?) and not trying to make my readers cry all the time, but in truth there *is* tragedy in the world--it's all around us--and often we have very little control over both what happens and the aftermath. Still, it's in these moments that we gain clarity and perspective.
It's when our world is crashing down around us that we tend to rethink and reassess--strip our life down to its most basic meaning. In these moments we decide what matters most, and that's when big changes happen.
An unexpected tragedy shows that there is a larger world at work in your novel. It lifts the characters out of themselves, proving that destiny is, in fact, a thing, and it's as much a part of your story world as it is in the current world in which we live.
And what is reading if not practice for the real world?
If our characters can survive a tragedy, so can we.
So maybe the tears are worthwhile, after all.
*passes you tissues, keeps on writing*
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
There's so much sadness in the world. Why would I want to contribute to this with my own tales of loss and violence and abuse?
There's Genesis, of course, dealing with this otherworldly war that she's been dragged into. Some of her friends return; some don't. Jaden ends up in her own crossfire situation, which forces her to question everything she knows about the guy she loves. Fallon's stepfather is violent and unpredictable. Summer struggles with her memory of a single night that changed her entire life--how can she grieve the loss of her best friend when she doesn't even know what happened to her? And even in my Christmas novella, Olivia's mom is in the middle of a cancer battle. Next Christmas could be very different for all of them.
Meanwhile, the guys (men, really, because most of my love interests edge toward the 18+ side) who love them or are learning to love them stand by--sometimes helpless, sometimes not. . . .
The fact is: there's at least one part in each of my stories where everything reaches peak point of heartbreak (sometimes after a series of heartbreaks).
And sure, maybe I should be writing happier stories (escapism, anyone?) and not trying to make my readers cry all the time, but in truth there *is* tragedy in the world--it's all around us--and often we have very little control over both what happens and the aftermath. Still, it's in these moments that we gain clarity and perspective.
It's when our world is crashing down around us that we tend to rethink and reassess--strip our life down to its most basic meaning. In these moments we decide what matters most, and that's when big changes happen.
An unexpected tragedy shows that there is a larger world at work in your novel. It lifts the characters out of themselves, proving that destiny is, in fact, a thing, and it's as much a part of your story world as it is in the current world in which we live.
And what is reading if not practice for the real world?
If our characters can survive a tragedy, so can we.
So maybe the tears are worthwhile, after all.
*passes you tissues, keeps on writing*
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
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